RSSHappy Anniversary, Sputnik
October 5th, 2007 | No Comments
I find Charles Krauthammer’s politics to be terrifically frightening, but man, is he a good writer:
Fifty years ago this week, America was shaken out of technological complacency by a beeping 180-pound aluminum ball orbiting overhead. Sputnik was a shock because we had always assumed that Russia was nothing but a big, lumbering and all-brawn bear. He could wear down the Nazis and produce mountains of steel but had none of our savvy or sophistication. Then one day we wake up and he has beaten us into space, placing overhead the first satellite to orbit the Earth since God placed the moon where it could give us lovely sailing tides.
I was a space nut as a kid, completely fascinated by Sputnik, Sputnik 2 (and the poor dog), and the Apollo missions. I loved learning about stars and going to the planetarium, gazing up at the projected night sky, identifying constellations.
